Menu for Hope III

Led by the venerable Alder Yarrow at Vinography.com, I am participating in an online-based charity event for Menu of Hope III.
The excellent food blog Chez Pim is the catalyst for the event and 2006 marks the third year for leading a global charitable engagement—last year raised well over $17,000 for UNICEF.

November and December mark the annual high point for awareness for those that may be less fortunate. I encourage all Good Grape readers to support and engage in philanthropic activity in your local community as well as our global community.

And, please give if for no other reason than the fact that pride is a powerful motivator. Alder has thrown down the gauntlet—he believes this years event will earn double last years total to make a donation totaling almost $35K dollars.

How to Bid and Wine … er … Win
The campaign is a raffle for prizes. Browse the prizes, determine which one(s) you would like to try to win, and then you buy “virtual raffle tickets”—one for each $10 of donation you make to the cause on the special web site set up for that purpose.

When you make your donation, you simply specify the prize number(s) (each prize should have one) and the “number of tickets” your donation is buying. Donate thirty dollars and you will receive three tickets; use them for one prize, or for three. Please specify the prizes you are interested in winning.

I will blog on this at least weekly to encourage traffic to the site for bidding, please help do your part not only for my prize offering, but those of my fellow wine bloggers and Chez Pim’s organization around foodie sites. To see the entire line-up of great wine-related offerings, point your browser to Vinography.com and this link.

You’ve heard of Cal-Ital’s? This is a “Cal-Mid” wine gift pack. Mid as in Midwest. This fantastic offering includes one bottle of the ‘99 Heitz Cellars Cabernet, Martha’s Vineyard designate. Scoring a 92 by Wine Spectator, this legendary California Cabernet can be found on various sites on the Internet for $130 + dollars a bottle. From WS: Spicy mint and bay leaf aromas mingle with ripe currant and black cherry fruit, turning smooth and elegant on the palate while displaying richness, depth and concentration; finishes with a full chorus of ripe fruit flavors and firm yet supple tannins. Drink now through 2012.
Complement your Napa Cab experience with a bottle of the 2004 Cabernet from Oliver Winery in Bloomington, IN. The winery crown jewel of the Midwest, Oliver creates compelling value-based wines using estate grown fruit and grapes from long-time contracts in California. Priced at $22 a bottle, you’ll get a wine that tastes like a $50 bottle priced for the Midwest market. Previous vintages have been medal winners at the Indy International Wine Competition, the 2nd largest wine competition in the country. Enjoy this brooding wine with moderate tannins and dark fruits after decanting for 1/2 hr. or use it as a conversation piece—a superb wine from the home of basketball that is barely in distribution.
While you’re pouring yourself a glass, turn the pages on Cabernet by Charles O’Rear. A beautiful coffee-table style book with color-drenched photo’s of the vine, the grape, and the people that make the wine this book will find a welcome spot in your home for you and guests to browse through for a 15 minute vacation. A $30 value.

All the Best,

Jeff Lefevere

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.